Speights Gold Medal Ale is a very smooth easy drinking beer that is full of flavor. Its appearance is a rich copper look. Smells and has a taste of malt which I love. Again its mouth-feel is smooth, crisp and very refreshing beer that easy to drink. This is a top beer for those who like a more rich malt flavor. (312 characters)

Pours a light copper/amber,soapy head and some lace stickage. Toffee, caramel little hop presence. Tastes like a simple ale, muted fruit and malt sweetness, some of the toffee character comes through and small buttery diacetyl. High level of carbonation, smooth, finishes not so clean. Overall, this is a nice beer for the warm weather, and cheap for $11.00/12pack on the island. (429 characters)

This is my first review while actually drinking a beer, most of my reviews are from notes.

A-Poured into a Shaker Pint from an 11.15 fl oz. bottle. No freshness date found. Pours a rich copper color, with an off white head that stays around longer than anticipated, and contains very large bubbles. A nice amount of lacing

S-A bit of a toasted sweet malt, with a touch of raisin. Some hoppiness does emerge as the ale warms, but what does is very minimal.

T-Malt is detected right away. Not getting any sort of bitterness whatsoever. Almost a nutty characteristic. The sweet slightly toffee, and caramel toasted malt flavors stay around to the end.

M-Smooth, watery, and very light.

D-The Speights seems to go down very easy, an extremely sessionable EPA. Although not as malty, or heavy as some English styles, this would be a nice Ale for taking in an afternoon All Blacks game. I would really need some more bitterness and a little heavier mouthfeel to grade this ale higher. (987 characters)

Appearance - 4.0Poured a finger and a half of frothy white head, which gradually disappeared in patches. Lots of large bubbles clinging to the glass. Colour is a coppery, deep amber. Looks very appealing.

Smell - 2.5My god, what a massive disappointment. This delicious looking pale ale has very little in the way of smell, and what there is smells like a macro lager! Some detectable hops and a whisper of malt sweetness.

Taste - 3.0Wow, it tastes like a lager too! In all honesty, this isn't too bad, but I can't help but feel disappointed, considering how tasty a lot of the English pale ales out there are. Taste is slightly metallic, with a little grain, and moderately bitter and quite dry in the finish. A bit of toffee in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - 3.0Moderately carbonated with an average weight in the mouth. Gets a bit watery after a while.

Drinkability - 4.0This actually goes down quite easily, and the low ABV is definitely a plus. Nothing nasty to put you off, but not tasty enough to be gagging for more.

OVERALL - 3.2This is a highly drinkable beer with nothing nasty, but as an example of one of my favourite styles, I was disappointed. The price was decent, so I'd say this is not a bad session beer choice, as it is much better than most macro lagers (1,282 characters)

Pours a clear reddish/copperry colour with almost no head. Does leave a bit of lacing about the glass.

Smell... I swear I smell peanut in this beer. Some form of hops as well. Not a bad smell at any rate, but not a big aroma.

Taste is pretty good, semi sweet peanut butter type start with a long drawn out hop finish, that isn't overpowering. I can't say I've ever thought I tasted peanut butter in a beer, but it seems to be there throughout each mouthfull and even in the aftertaste. I suppose it may just be buttery with the other flavours making it seem like peanut butter.

Mouthfeel is slick with light carbonation. Feels a bit oily on the tongue. This is certainly not a tough beer to drink, it goes down smooth and has a low ABV. (745 characters)

Can-blurb describes it as a "fulll strength bitter ale" which translates to being the standard NZ 4% (beer gravities here became standardised during the first world war and following depression) and practically every Australasian beer calls itself a bitter (although this one has a far bigger claim to that name than most). In reality it pours a rich amber colour maybe a bit lighter than your standard pale ale and the smell is very nondescript. I would describe it as a "mild session ale" it is a very subdued but likeable version of a traditional english bitter with a pleasant malty build-up followed by a decent but not overpowering bitter finish. (652 characters)

speights are a vastly underrated macro from new zealand who brew the best stock standard beers going around in australasia next to coopers. i wouldnt call this an ale, definately more a lager, and that being the case, its fantastic!

wonderful rusty amber color with a thick white head that has some staying power. nose is a little bit weak, some malts, and the smell of spring flowers but has a top malty flavor with hints of fruityness and a mild bitterness that holds its own without heading into the region of most down under beers with that really cloying finish. its very crisp clean and fresh in taste and mouthfeel, making it a real quaffer.

not complex by any standard, but well rounded enuff to be able to polish off a few pints in a session and really enjoy it. awesome beer to drink with mates watching sport. the sort of beer you want to drink when you want something fairly tasty without having to think too much about it. (942 characters)